About Me

After our air conditioner died a few years back, we realized that we really needed to start taking our HVAC contractor's suggestions seriously. He had told us to program our thermostat and change our air filters regularly, but we hadn't done any of those things. It was frustrating, but we knew that we were at fault. After replacing our air conditioner, we decided to really take our professional's suggestions to heart and to learn more about them. We did a lot of research about air conditioner maintenance, and we even decided to set up this blog to teach other people. Read more to learn how to keep your HVAC system healthy and functional.

Two components in your air conditioning system generate heat as they operate. The blower motor and the compressor motor both can get quite hot. Keeping the air flowing around these components is important to dissipating the heat. If allowed to over heat, these motors can fail, resulting in an expensive HVAC repair bill. Here is what you can do to keep your air conditioning system cooler this summer.

Changing the Air Filter

Simply keeping a clean, inexpensive air filter in your system keeps the air moving smoothly through it. As the air filter becomes clogged, it reduces the amount of air brought into the system. The blower motor must work harder to pull air through the clogged filter. If it gets too hot, the motor will fail. You should replace the air filter every one to three months, depending on how quickly the filter becomes clogged.

Turn the thermostat up so the air conditioner won't come on.

Remove the access panel to the air filter.

Remove the filter, making note of the direction in which the arrow printed on the side of the filter is pointing.

Make sure the replacement filter is the same size as the one you remove.

Insert the new filter with the arrow on the side in the same direction as the old filter.

Make sure the filter fits tightly in the frame so air can't get into the system around the edges of the filter.

Replace the access cover.

Adjust the thermostat to a comfortable temperature.

Cleaning the Compressor Fins and Fan

The compressor sits in the unit outside of the house. The compressor is responsible for generating the cool air forced back into your house. A fan and specially designed metal fins surrounding the compressor motor pull heat away from the motor to keep it cooler. Cleaning these periodically keeps the motor performing optimally.

Turn the thermostat up so the air conditioner won't come on.

Loosen the screws that secure the top on the compressor unit outside.

Lift off the top of the unit and place it aside.

With a vacuum cleaner, a long wand and a soft brush, clean off the fan blades.

Carefully clean off the metal fins surrounding the motor.

Straighten out any bent fins.

If a large section of fins has been mashed in, contact a heating and cooling repair company to fix them. The service has a special "comb" that they can use to straighten out the fins without damaging them.